2019: Between choice of candidates and Nigerians
As has been restated several times by several political commentators in the country that the biggest mistake a political party will be making, such as the PDP, is choosing a wrong candidate to challenge the incumbent in the coming 2019 general elections. The PDP is known to impose candidates even in the face of stern criticism and resistance by party members. This has consistently been the party's ways of fielding candidates for an election, at least from 1999 till date. This single mistake may result in the party not winning the election this time around simply because there are indicators playing out in the polity today that determine who wins or not. 2015 general election is a testimony to this.
These indicators may include amongst others; wider acceptability across the states, trust, past records and antecedents, ability to deliver, international endorsement. In the event a candidate for an election falls far too short of these qualities, the chances are that he is potentially likely to lose. This is because unlike in the past when dubious election results are declared, people's votes now count.
The just concluded PDP presidential primary election which held in Port Harcourt, Rivers state saw Atiku, the former embattled Vice President of Nigeria, winning the election. He is now going to face President Buhari in the scheduled February 2019 general elections. Atiku is a serial contender and strategist who never hesitate to throw his hat into the ring whenever opportunity presents itself. That is why I am concerned, now that he has won the primaries though amidst serious foretold irregularities which characterized the election including vote buying, intimidation, violation of election laws etc., he could stage a very big fight, especially if he has the collective support of the remaining aspirants who painfully lost to him.
As preparations for campaigns get intensified by political parties across the country, an issue of serious concern is "on what bases are the people going to vote for their next leader." For those in the Northeast for example, religion will certainly not become an issue, but is going to be a choice that will consolidate on the gains already recorded in Recovery, Rehabilitation and Resettlement of the affected communities. Several other driving forces will influence choice of the next leader, from across the zones in the country. Recurring issues such as tackling insecurity, banditry and kidnapping, infrastructure provision and development, improving healthcare services, transparency and openness in governance, and recently the much talked about restructuring of the country for maximum derivable, equitable and even benefits to cut across all the divides.
APC has loaded promises left unfulfilled four years into the Buhari administration. And this has compelled quite many people to have a rethink, and be extra careful when next is election time. Now that Atiku is PDP's presidential candidate, and Buhari in the APC in the run off to 2019 general election, Nigerians will once again exercise their franchise. My hope and prayer are that whoever eventually wins the election, he should be someone who possesses the two golden qualities of a responsible leader; competency and trustworthiness. Any leader devoid of these qualities is unfit to steer the affairs of this country in the next four years, especially now that it so badly desires good leadership.
Mustapha Makarfi, Kaduna